Los Lobos

Formed in the early 1970s in East Los Angeles, Los Lobos brought together a core of musicians from the Mexican‑American community around David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano, joined in the mid‑1980s by saxophonist Steve Berlin. The band first drew attention on the local scene by playing traditional Mexican repertoire before incorporating rock, rhythm and blues, country, folk and cumbia into an increasingly electric approach. With the EP “...And a Time to Dance” (1983) and the album How Will the Wolf Survive? (1984), Los Lobos became part of the American roots‑rock current while keeping bilingual arrangements and lyrics strongly shaped by Chicano culture. Their cover of “La Bamba,” recorded for the soundtrack of the film of the same name in 1987, greatly expanded Los Lobos’ audience and opened a period of albums in which the band developed a more experimental sound, notably on By the Light of the Moon (1987), The Neighborhood (1990), Kiko (1992) and Colossal Head (1996). Active on rock, blues and world‑music stages and often associated with other American roots musicians, Los Lobos went on to release records such as Good Morning Aztlán (2002), Tin Can Trust (2010) and Native Sons (2021), the latter highlighting covers of artists linked to Los Angeles, while maintaining a steady touring schedule.